Half to rial s



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. RAFTER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- IIALF TORIAL S. PECK, OF SAME PLACE.

FASTENING DEVICE.

SPECIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,417, dated June 23,1896.

Application filed August 12, 1895. Serial No. 558,985. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. RAFTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFastening Devices,.

of which the following'is a specification.

This invention relates to a fastening or clampingdeviceforsecuringprinting-plates+ such as engraved, stereotype, electrotype, or otherplates-4o the block .or base to which they are usually secured; and theobject of the invention is' to provide a fastener 01' clamp which issimple in construction, and by means of which a printing-plate can besecured to the block or base without the use of nails, brads, or tacks,as heretofore, and whereby the distorting or bending of the plate isprevented, and whereby, also, the working out of the brads, usually usedto fasten the plate onto its block, is prevented.

A further object of my invention is to provide a fastening or clampingdevice which can be quickly and easily attached to the base or block tosecure the plate in position thereon, and which can be secured inposition without any liability of marring or injuring the face of theplate by the use of a hammer or other pounding means adjacent to theface thereof; and also to provide a device which will not interfere withthe printing operation, and which will permit the printing-plate to bereadily removed and replaced to remove or insert a suitable backing orsupplemental sheet between the plate and block, to obtain darker linesof certain parts of the plate in printing, by the printer or pressinan,without the assistance of an engraver.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a printing-plate secured in positionon the block or base by means of this improved fastener or clamp. Fig. 2is an interior side view of the fastener. Fig. 3 is a plan view of thefastener, and Fig. 4: is a partly-sectional view showing a portion ofthe printing-plate secured to its block by means of this improvedfastener and showing the plate and block in position in connection withthe letter-press matter or text ready for printing.

Similar characters represent like parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

In the method heretofore used for securing printing-platessuch asengraved, stereotype, electrotype, or other plates-to the base or blockto which they are usually secured, it has been the usual practice tosecure such plates by means of tacks orbrads run through the flange orother projection, or means extending from the sides of the plate belowthe face thereof, and into the block. This means of securing the platesto the blocks often times injures the face of the plate, owing to thecarelessness of the printer in striking the face of the plate adjacentto the edges thereof with the hammer or other pounding means, whiledriving the brads or nails into the block; while at the same time thetacks or or brads are liable to, and oftentimes do, work out of theblock by the pressure on the plate when in use, and thereby injure thematerial operated on, and the plate. Moreover, by securing the plates inthis manner, the plates are distorted and bent out of position and theface of the plates caused to bulge between the points where the bradsare driven through the flange, whereby an uneven printing-surface is,presented, and whereby parts of the plate will print in darker linesthan other parts of the same plate, which are intended to print with thesame degree of shade, and which is therefore a great disadvantage in theart. It has also been found that, by the use of the meansheretoforeprovided for securing the plate on its block, it has beenpracticallyimpossible for the printer or pressman-without the assistanceof the engraver-to remove and replace the printing-plate in properposition on its block to permit the insertion or removal of the backingor supplemental sheet used between such plate and block to obtain darkershades of certain portions of the plate, owing to the difficulty ofremoving the brads, and consequent liability to injure or move the plateout of its proper position relative to such backing and the block. Inorder to obviate these serious defects, I have provided an improvedfastening or clamping device, whereby the plates can be secured to theblock or base quickly and easily, and whereby the plates will not bedistorted or bent out of shape to thereby prevent the proper printingwith the same, and whereby the operation of making the plate ready forprintingis facilitated by allowing the printer or pressman to readilyremove the plate from its block or base without bending or injuring theprinting-face thereof, and to readily replace the same without theassistance of an engraver.

In the preferred form thereof, herein shown and described, this improvedfastening or clamping device comprises a sheet-metal fastener or clamp(designated in a general way by A) and suitable means for securing saidfastener or clamp in place relatively to the printing-plate block.

The fastener or clamp A consists of a plate bent adjacent to its middleportion to form two extending leaves 10 at right angles to each other;and this plate has its upper edge bent or turned inwardly, forming aflange 11 at right angles to the plate, and whereby the flanges of theleaves will also be at right angles to each other, and whereby the clampor fastener is adapted to be placed in position onto the flange 15 orother projection of the printing-plate hereinafter described. Adj acentto the angle 12 of the plate and the inner ends 13 of the flanges11which are nonconnected with each other, for the purpose hereinafterspecifled-the clamp has a cutout portion 1% for the purpose hereinafterspecified.

In the use of this improved fastening or clamping device theprinting-plates 17 are usually provided with flanges 15 or othersubstantially similar means projecting from the sides of the platesbelow the printing-face threreof for securing said plates to the blocks16. hen this construction of printing-plate is used, it is laid upon theblock or base 16 and the fastener adjusted into position at the cornerof said block or base, with its bent flanges 11 resting on the flanges15 of the plate 17, whereby the corner 18 of the block 16 is adjacent toand projects into the cut-out portion 14 of the fastener, and the cornerof the printing-plate 17 is also adjacent to and projects into andbetween the non-connected ends of the flanges 11, whereby the same willbe more securely held, and whereby, by means of this cut-out portion14:, the protruding part of the fastener, which would otherwise beformed at this place, owing to the bending of the plate to form, theflanges 11, is obviated. The fastener is then secured to the sides ofthe block by any suitable fastening device such as screws 19, nails, orbradsand the printing-plate is then ready for use, either by itself orin connection with the letter-press matter or text, (see Fig. 45,) withwhich it can be readilyset up, if desired, and when so used the leaves10 of the fastener will be in the nature of and constitute lead spaces.

It will be observed that the corner-blocks are so constructed, by virtueof the cut-out portions 14, that small shims or underlying pieces can bedriven beneath the printingplate, so that either one corner or one endof the same can be raised, if necessary to ob tain darker lines inprinting without the as.- sistance of an engraver. The series of clampsbeing readily removable also permit the printing-plate, or certain partsthereof, to be raised by the insertion of suitable backing-sheetsbetweenthe plate and the block, and after said sheets are inserted theclamps can again be secured to the block to hold the printingplate inthe desired horizontal or inclined position.

When it is desired to secure the sides or ends of the printing-plate tothe block, another form of fastener or clamp is used, and which, in thepreferred form thereof, consists of an unbent plate 20, having a flange11, adapted to be secured in substantially the same manner as thebent-plate fastener, hereinbefore described.

It will be observed that the corner and intermediate plates constitute aset of clamps which can be applied to different blocks and serve tofirmly but removably secure the printing-plates in position.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In combination with abase-block and a flanged printing-plate, a series of fasteners locatedat the respective corners of the block and each comprising a metal platehaving two right-angular side portions with lateral lips, cut away attheir intersection to fit and receive the corners of the printing-plateand block, which lips fit over and engage the flanges of theprinting-plate; and plates having lateral lips for engaging saidflanges, located on the block intermediate the cornerplates,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A set of fasteners for securing printingplates to their blockscomprising cornerplates having flanged right-angular portions, andintermediate plates having angular flanges, said set being adapted to beapplied to different blocks, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

JOSEPH J. RAFTER.

Vitnesses:

FRED. J. Donn, R. V. PITTMAN.

IIO

